What are you vegetable capsules made of? Are they rice or millet base by chance?

Also, based on your video, I have a few questions concerning the consumption of inositol powder verses Chiral Balance dci supplements. I recently purchased and tried regular inositol powder, which to my understanding from your video is regular myo-inositol. I experienced a few symptoms of high testosterone such as losing small hairs that had been forced into teleogen phase. This always happens with a larger quantity of short hairs lost when I consume sugar, and my blood sugar becomes unbalanced. On days when my blood sugar is balanced, I lose mostly long hairs (as my hair is about 12 inches long). Also, i experienced a great deal of brain fog (also related to excess testosterone for me) after consuming the regular myo-inositol. The brain fog cleared after about 6 hours of taking the myo-inositol, and I actually felt high in energy and was able to think clearly. Is this possibly a situation where my body is producing too much testosterone while the myo-inositol is by itself (unbalanced), and then it takes about 5-6 hours for the myo-inositol to be converted into dci by my body and that's when I start feeling good and balanced and having energy? So in fact, my body is just very slow, and inefficient at this process of converting myo-inositol to dci?

I'd like to know your opinion, since you have done more research than myself on this process. And I am obviously just making darting guesses at what is happening to my body when I take myo-inositol. I am interested to know though, because if what I have described is close to the truth, then taking dci will...quickly elevate me to a balanced blood sugar level. And primarily, my question is, will it give me the same increased testosterone as regular myo-inositol? I realize that in your video you describe that it doesn't, and that it only helps to burn and store sugar. However, would dci ever convert back to myo-inositol and cause the resulting high testosterone in that manner?

I would love to know your opinion, and informed answer. I have suffered with pcos since I was 14 (I am now 25) and have been forced on the path of avandia, metformin, and birth control pills to regulate my ovaries, menstrual cycle, acne, hair loss, and excess hair growth. I am not currently on any medication and have since restored balance to my body through a grain-free, sugar-free, exercise-full lifestyle and I feel that your product will be the tool I need to advance my health to the level that I felt when I was on avandia, minus the horrendous side-effects.

Many thanks for your time,

Nadine10/3/10

Hi Nadine—Our capsules are made from pullulan*, a polysaccharide similar to starch. Pullulan itself is made from starch by a close relative of yeast. They are a vegan/vegetarian friendly and are both kosher and halal.

Your question about myo-inositol is very interesting. This is something I've speculated about before. We know that an epimerase (a specialized enzyme) is responsible for converting myo-inositol to D-chiro-inositol (DCI). From animal studies, we know that it is possible for the enzyme to be absent or non-functional and still have a viable organism, but one which is insulin resistant. DCI's role in insulin metabolism, coupled with this fact and others led Larner et al. to propose the model detailed in the video.DCI's absence however, could also be caused by a slow functioning version of the enzyme, which would possibly produce the effects you described. So, in short, your theory has some merit and is certainly a possibility. Yes, the epimerase would also be converting DCI back to myo-inositol, but that process would be just as slow and would, more importantly, come to equilibrium. It is an excess of myo-insotiol that drives DCI production and vice-versa. If the model you proposed is what is taking place in your body, then taking DCI would most likely correct the issue, and it would not increase testosterone production.

It is important to note: any information you read on ChiralBalance.com is for informational purposes only. Chiral Balance always recommends seeking medical advice only from your doctor.

*Our capsules are no longer made of pullulan, but are still a 100% vegetable material— hypromellose.

Since this answer was posted, the understanding of the interconversion of DCI and myo-inositol hasn't really progressed. That is a disappointment, but is understandable once you understand how little demand there is for inositols. Several large pharmaceutical companies have tried and failed to gain a significant foothold in the PCOS/inositol market, some by making unsubstantiated claims and/or overselling the promises of inositol therapy. Chiral Balance soldiers on, happy to serve the PCOS community by providing thoughtfully-designed nutritional therapies. Our business is based on solid research and realistic expectations.